[AT] FW: E-mail

Spencer Yost Spencer.Yost at piedmontsystems.com
Thu Mar 11 06:29:40 PST 2004



*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 3/10/2004 at 8:31 PM Robinson wrote:

>Anybody else getting hostile emails with ATIS-announce in the "to" line?
>This is about the third one I've gotten this evening.
>
>
>"farmer"


Just a virus.   

Let me explain quickly:    An email message actually has two "To" addresses.    One on the SMTP envelope and one on the message.   The one on the envelope has to have your address on it to get to you.   The one on the message can say anything and that is the "to" address your email client displays.  An analogy is a regular snail mail letter.   The address on the envelope has to be right, but the name and address on the top of the letter itself can say anything.

So the message is a virus design to clog email systems - I don't think it has a destructive payload.

By the way, the ATIS-announce address is a protected address - no one can post to it but three selected addresses so the messages are not originating from there either (some folks are seeing a "From: " line of ATIS announce.

Spencer







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